Dr. Donohue: Weightlifting can be for women, too

DR. PAUL DONOHUESyndicated Columnist

Published Saturday, October 30, 2004

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I'm a woman and in my 20s. At the suggestion of my boyfriend, I decided to start lifting weights. I don't know where to start. My boyfriend is no help, even though he lifts all the time. Could you outline a program for me? -- J.C.

ANSWER: Weightlifting is exercise not just for men. Weightlifting women can build muscle strength, burn calories and, most importantly, preserve their bone health. In the 20s and early 30s, women's bone mass peaks, and for it to reach a level that prevents future osteoporosis, weightlifting is the ticket to success.

One important weightlifting basic is adequate overload. That means a weightlifter must constantly increase the amount of weight lifted, no matter how small the increment, to keep progressing. To determine what a good starting weight is, you'll have to experiment. Find the amount of weight you can lift only once for each exercise you do -- arm, leg, back, etc. That amount of weight is called the one-repetition maximum. Use 60 percent to 75 percent of your one-repetition maximum weight as your starting weight.

The next consideration for successful weightlifting is determining how many times to lift the weight. Eight to 12 consecutive lifts is the usual recommendation. Perform three sets of consecutive lifts with a 1-1/2-to-2-minute rest between each set.

How fast to raise and lower the rate is another factor that must be considered in a program. Take twice the amount of time to lower the weight to the starting position as you did to lift it. For instance, if it takes two seconds to lift the weight, take four seconds to lower it. Don't let the weight just drop to the starting position. Lowering it has to be deliberate. This part of the exercise is more important than the lifting phase. It's during the lowering phase that greater stress is put on the muscle and greater gains are made in building it up.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I discovered the other day that I couldn't bend over and touch my toes without bending my knees. I would like to be able to do so without a knee bend. I am 19 years old and close to 6 feet tall and weigh 140 pounds. What can I do to make myself more flexible? -- J.L.

ANSWER: It's OK to bend the knees when trying to touch the toes. Keeping the knees rigidly locked can tear the hamstring muscles, the muscles on the backs of the thighs -- the ones you are trying to stretch. Let the knees bend as much as you have to, but not so much that you don't feel a little pull in the hamstrings. When you do, stop at that position and hold it there for 20 seconds. Repeat as many times as you can.

Once the muscles become more flexible, then straighten the knees a bit. If you never reach the point where your knees are straight, don't worry about it. You're still improving muscle flexibility with bent knees.

You can achieve the same goal by resting one leg straight out in front of you on the seat of a chair while you stand on the other leg. Pick a chair whose seat height gives you just a little strain in the hamstring muscle. You can progress by choosing chairs whose seat heights are higher and higher.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been weight training for most of my adult life, and I have always been instructed to inhale before each movement and exhale during the movement. I recently bought a book that states you should inhale prior to the movement and exhale at the end of the movement. This suggests that the breath is held during the movement, which you have previously stated is a never-do. I am confused. -- G.B.

ANSWER: If you hold your breath while you lift or lower a weight, you are performing what is called a Valsalva maneuver. That maneuver impedes the flow of blood to the heart. That, in turn, causes a drop in blood pressure and can make a person faint.